


it's hard to be a saint in the city

by handyhunter



Category: Iron Man 2 - Fandom, daredevil - Fandom
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-13
Updated: 2010-09-13
Packaged: 2017-10-11 20:08:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/116582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/handyhunter/pseuds/handyhunter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(prompt) Tony needs a lawyer who specialises in superheroics, what with all the shit he's constantly getting himself into. Pepper calls upon Nelson and Murdock, Attorneys at Law.</p>
            </blockquote>





	it's hard to be a saint in the city

**Author's Note:**

  * For [iambickilometer](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=iambickilometer).



Pepper studied the two men sitting across from her. The one on the left had introduced himself as "Franklin Nelson, but call me Foggy," and brought them all coffees in worn mugs. Matt Murdock's general appearance was neat and slightly sombre, an antithesis to Tony Stark. He was tall and well-muscled, though closer to lean than brawny. Foggy was softer looking, maybe kinder too, and reminded her of Happy.

"Sorry about the mess," he said as he transfered several files from the middle of his desk to the floor behind him. Pepper resisted the urge to tidy. Tony's utilitarian style - everywhere except for his underground garage - suited her very well. Also, he didn't care what she did or where she put things as long as it didn't interfere with his current obsessions or catch his attention in dangerous - to her stress levels - ways.

While Foggy was turned around, Pepper saw Matt Murdock silently and swiftly switch his and Foggy's coffee cups. Pepper sniffed her own mug; it smelled fine, if a little stronger than she liked. She set it down in front of her and waited for Foggy to stop fussing and for him and Matt to come to a conclusion about taking on Tony Stark as a client. It was a point in their favour that they didn't immediately leap at the offer - anyone who knew Tony, even from afar, would be wise to be cautious - but the lack of reply began to seem a shade too unenthusiastic.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Potts," said Matt. He tilted his head at Foggy. "We don't usually have many-"

"Any," muttered Foggy.

"-high profile clients. So, I have to ask, why us? Surely Stark has a fleet of lawyers at its disposal."

"What he means to say is, 'Yes! We would be glad to have Stark as a _paying_ client,'" said Foggy, in turns smiling at Pepper and glaring at his partner, ineffective as that was, with his expression bouncing off Matt's dark glasses. Matt's expression didn't change, but Foggy must have read something in his face or body language that Pepper didn't catch, because he subsided into his chair with a huff.

Pepper ignored their byplay with practiced determination; if working for Tony had taught her nothing else, it was how to tune out things outside her immediate concern. "Stark Industries does keep several lawyers on retainer, but I'm looking for someone a little more knowledgeable about, um, superheroics."

"Then you've definitely come to the wrong place. What would I know about superheroes?" Matt smiled disarmingly, which raised Pepper's suspicions. She recognized that smile. Usually it was on Tony's face right before he suggested or, more likely, admitted to doing something outrageous or possibly illegal, which, after all, was why she was here.

"I've been studying your cases. You don't have an exemplary record of winning in court, but what is interesting is that after a loss, more often than not, the other party suffers some sort of...catastrophe or change of heart."

Matt leaned back in his chair. "Coincidence."

"Once or twice might be coincidence. A dozen incidences in the last year alone - and that's all I could cross-reference - suggests 'coincidence' might have had a little help." Pepper pulled out a file and laid in on the desk between them. After a second, Foggy picked it up.

"'Vengeance is mine; I will repay,'" quoted Matt.

Pepper looked at him sharply. His expression was very, very bland.

"...Or so I've heard," he concluded. He'd swiveled his chair around to face Foggy, who flipped back and forth through Pepper's list. "How do you know the same thing isn't happening with other law firms in the city?"

"I don't," admitted Pepper, but she was reasonably sure this only happened with Nelson & Murdock cases. JARVIS was very thorough.

Foggy looked up. "This is... Wow. I almost feel like we should lose more often. Did you know about this?"

"No," said Matt and turned to Pepper in a smooth motion. "And being that we lose a lot in the courthouse, as you so kindly pointed out, I'm not sure I understand what Stark wants us to do. _Lose_ cases for him?"

"Well, now, that's insulting," said Foggy.

Matt hmmed. "Besides which, we're based on opposite coasts."

"That shouldn't be a problem. Mr. Stark flies back and forth often enough."

"With all that travelling, you'd think he wouldn't have time to create so much trouble."

"You would think," agreed Pepper.

"I would also think the new CEO of Stark Industries wouldn't have time to meet with me personally. So why are you really here?" Matt rolled a pencil across his desk.

Pepper smiled. "Like I said, I'm interested in someone with expertise on superheroics."

"I don't see any superheroes here," said Matt.

"Perhaps not, but I think you have connections to the-" she consulted her notes "-Daredevil."

Matt coughed and Foggy reached over to slap him on the back.

"Didn't think he was real," said Foggy. "Like Batman."

"Daredevil sightings have decreased since Wilson Fisk was jailed, but he's not entirely gone, is he?" She tapped the list of Nelson & Murdock's cases of interest.

Matt Murdock turned to face her for a long moment. Pepper had the unsettling feeling that he could see right through her. "You... You don't want a lawyer," he said slowly, testing out his theory. "You want a mercenary - someone who'll clean up Stark's problems - or a babysitter, neither of which services we offer. Stark's not even accountable to the federal government or the military. What could two lawyers and one superhero do?" His voice had gone distinctly cold, but he hadn't denied Daredevil's existence.

"Wait. Are you saying he _is_ real?" Foggy stared at his partner.

"Yes," said Pepper, also watching Matt's reactions.

He ran a hand through his hair, tugging a little on the ends, but remained stubbornly silent.

Pepper picked up an earlier thread of their conversation. "Mr. Stark tends to respond better to individual..." she trailed off, searching for a word that meant 'ass-kicking' or 'Nick Fury' without exposing SHIELD.

"Threats?" suggested Matt.

"Persuasion," she said firmly. "Think it over. My lunch break was over five minutes ago. These are a pair of tickets for the gala at the Met tonight. I would love for you to join us." She stood up, laid the invitations on the desk and walked out of their office.

She wasn't sure if she'd scared him off or piqued his interest, but if nothing else, surely Matt would want to know how she found out about Daredevil. And she wanted information about superheroes and their world, which she'd quickly discovered was bigger than she could've imagined.

*

"Some guys get all the luck," said Foggy, watching his partner on the dance floor. Happy nodded.

 _They're like two peas in a pod_ , Pepper thought as she walked by. Happy caught her smile and smiled back. A few minutes later, Tony handed her a drink and looked her up and down appreciatively, as if he hadn't seen her in this dress earlier in the evening. "Mr. Stark," she said reproachfully, though not without a hint of appreciation herself. Tony always cleaned up well.

"Really, Ms. Potts. We've been dating for a couple of weeks now. Don't you think it's about time we dispensed with the formalities?" He slid one hand around to the small of her back. "Why do I get the feeling you're not listening to me?"

"Hmm?" said Pepper.

Tony followed her line of sight. "Who is Natalie dancing with? I don't recognize him."

She watched them for a moment, wondering if Matt knew Natalie as Natasha or if she read too much into their body language just because they were dancing together. "He's Matt Murdock and he's an attorney. Try not to annoy him. We should dance." She led the way to a clear spot on the dance floor and angled their trajectory towards the couple in question.

"Pepper, I know you're the boss now, but do you think you could let me lead?"

"Sure," she said, and accidentally-on-purpose bumped into Natasha Romanoff, who had seen her coming and was agile enough to move out of reach if she so desired. Introductions and apologies were made all around, and then Pepper left Tony in the care of Natasha and asked Matt Murdock to dance.

"So the rumours are true," he said, holding her lightly and leaving a respectable distance between them. "You and Stark, I mean."

Pepper stifled a sigh. "Depends on the rumour. Thank you for coming. I hope you're enjoying the party."

"I'm just here for the food." His smile this time was less calculated and a lot more approachable. He moved easily to the beat of the music and didn't seem to have a problem navigating between the other people.

"I take it that means you've decided to turn down my offer."

"I think Tony Stark is too much for our firm to handle. And you know as well as I do that laws for superheroes haven't been passed yet."

There was a good chance they were being written, though. "It's probably in Tony's best interest that they stay that way."

To her surprise, Matt didn't disagree. "Sometimes superheroes exist because they fill the gap between the law and justice."

"Vigilantes and-" how had Tony put it? "-privatized world peace..."

"Stark's aims are a little bigger than most other superheroes'," said Matt stiffly. Whether it was Tony's politics or the topic in general that he didn't like, she couldn't tell. "Actually, it's usually the villains who want to amass that amount of power for global domination, just not in the name of peace."

"Are you calling Tony a villain?" said Pepper. It came out more seriously than she intended, but then, she also wasn't quite sure how they got to talking about this instead of Nelson & Murdock's qualifications for the job.

"He's probably been called worse," he deflected. The music wound down and he stepped back from her. He unfold his cane from his pocket and made a move to walk away when she stepped in front of him. He stopped and waited.

"Can I talk to you some place more private?" she said quietly, meaning to find a quiet corner or go out into an unused corridor, but he nodded and said, "Follow me."

*

Another balcony, another rooftop, but this time with a man who had no interest in her except in regards to business -- or Tony. Some days it was one and the same, and some days she wanted nothing more than to quit her job and Tony both. Or, well, not Tony, exactly, just Iron Man. Tony at his most reckless and inconsiderate was nothing compared to the damage he could do -- to himself, to her, to the world around them -- in the suit. And to say nothing of people who wanted to harm him because of Iron Man and what it represented.

"You must know this building well," said Pepper. She wouldn't have known where the rooftop access was, much less how to get past security; there was a rooftop restaurant, but it was closed at this time.

"I love the view from here." Matt kept walking until he was right in front of the hedge that surrounded the roof.

Pepper glanced at his back, startled.

"I wasn't always blind." Matt tipped his face to the sky. "It's going to rain," he said, sounding pleased. Like any proper Californian, Pepper also looked up at the sky with a great deal of trepidation and only a little anticipation. "Probably not within the next few minutes, though."

She better get to it, then, if all she had was a few minutes. "You said 'most other superheroes' aren't like Tony. Who do you mean by that?"

He turned around. "I...uh. I'm not at liberty to say."

"How many superheroes do you know?" She moved closer to him.

"Enough."

Pepper wished she could see his eyes: they might give him away when the rest of his expression did not. "If I asked Daredevil to talk to Tony, would he do it?"

Matt propped himself up against the railing and seemed to be thinking over the question. "I don't think Daredevil is much of a talker, but I could get you the number of a mercenary, if you want. He likes to talk."

"I don't think that will be necessary," said Pepper.

After a beat, he asked, " _Why_ do you want Stark to talk to Daredevil? I don't think you could find two more different superhero types."

She thought of Agents Romanoff and Coulson, and Nick Fury, and the very little she knew about SHIELD; they probably had the power to take down Iron Man if he became a liability. "I want to know if Tony has any friends in the superhero...world."

"War Machine," Matt promptly supplied.

"Colonel Rhodes still answers to the Air Force. And they don't always see eye-to-eye with Tony." And what would happen if Tony tested the bonds of their friendship again? "Looking after him is a full-time job and a half," she muttered the last part to herself.

"I'm sorry?"

Pepper had no doubt he'd heard her perfectly, so she ignored his question and asked one of her own. "It is so different, what Tony does and what y--" she caught herself "...and what other superheroes do?"

A car alarm sounded nearby and Matt flinched. He waited until it died down before he answered her. "It's one thing to defend yourself or your city, to ensure justice is served when the legal system fails to uphold the law, but what Stark has done... Unmasking Daredevil would be his downfall. _Do you understand?_ " His voice was deceptively light, but Pepper was pretty sure he didn't mean to grip his cane like it was a weapon.

"Yes," she said softly.

"Stark's made himself a target. What happened with Vanko won't be an isolated incident. He's made you and anyone else he cares about a target too, you know." The thought had occurred to her, but she tamped it down and continued to trust in the capabilities of SHIELD agents to protect her, for as long as Tony - and she, by extension - was useful to them. What happened after that was her concern now.

"Mr. Stark has always been in the public eye," said Pepper, retreating a little into formality.

Matt shook his head. "Not like this. Now he's almost as much of a political figure as Captain America was, but without the endorsement of the government or support from a lot of people. He's creating enemies here and abroad."

Pepper always knew working for Tony Stark would to get her into trouble one day; Tony rushed headlong into it and she followed in his wake. She just had no idea it would involve secret government departments and superheroes. Missed meetings, media scandals and plummeting stock prices she could handle. Tony being abducted in Afghanistan -- well, she hadn't handled that so well, but it wasn't far-fetched like...some kid who could shoot lasers out of his eyes; she still didn't quite believe that was true, even though Agent Coulson wasn't the type to joke around. "I never knew there was so much I didn't know." She took a deep breath to steady herself. "Do you consider Tony an enemy?"

Matt stuck his hands in his pockets, leaving his cane dangling from one wrist. "Only if I go up against him on the opposite side of a court room, or he causes a ruckus in my city."

That was probably as close as he'd get to admitting the truth. Pepper didn't press him on that subject; she had enough problems and new information to sort through without causing any unnecessary harm or exposure to another superhero. "Thank you for answering my questions."

He dipped his head; it was almost a bow. "I have one question of my own."

"How did I find you? You may want to tell the urban legend reporter -- Ben Urich? -- to be more careful with his online searches. Computers nowadays. You never know what you might turn up."

He nodded. "One more question. Does Stark know you're talking to me?"

"He probably does by now."

"If he asks, what will you tell him?"

"That I'm looking into hiring him another lawyer."

Matt started towards the door and Pepper hurried to follow him. The heels on her shoes were not conducive to walking quickly. He pushed the door open and waited for her to step through. "Tell him we'll take the job."

"Really?" she asked, surprised.

"Anything to keep Foggy happy."

 _And to stop him from asking questions._ But, really, was it any different from what she'd tell Tony? Speaking of Tony... There he was now, with Natasha, both of them heading in their direction.

There was a look of amusement in Matt's face. "Also, it wouldn't hurt for me to stay up to date with any developments in regards to superhero laws. I might as well get paid for it."

"I'm glad we reached this agreement, Mr. Murdock." Pepper shook Matt's proffered hand.

Tony looked at them with a faint air of puzzlement.

"Meet your newest lawyer," said Pepper.

She nodded at Natasha, who touched Matt's arm lightly and said, "If you would follow me, I have some documents for you to go over with Mr. Nelson." Matt dropped a hand on her shoulder and they fell in step together as they walked off and rounded the corner in the opposite direction from the ballroom.

"Are they...?" said Tony.

Pepper shrugged.

"Do you...?"

She grabbed his hand and tugged him closer to her. "The roof's free, and the view is spectacular."


End file.
